Delayed Earth
by Mariko Azrael
Summary: [Timeranger] Domon is an earthbender from Omashu trying to find his grandparents.  On the way, he finds someone who seems to has no idea about the war... or bending at all. [AU, crossover with Avatar: the Last Airbender]
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Not mine

Notes: Um, I guess this going to require some explaining. The fic itself is me taking a morning off from NaNo, which might explain the frankly bizarre premise of this story. I do have a vague idea of Avatar-verisons of Tatsuya/Yuuri/Ayase floating around if for some insane reason I wanted to continue this, but I think it works all right as a stand alone also. There are no spoilers for Timeranger, but there Avatar spoilers for up to 'Return to Omashu'. Also, I admit to not being an expert in Avatar lore, so apologies if I got something wrong

--

Domon sighed heavily as he looked over his maps again. He wasn't sure how much good it would do though: he'd stared at them until the point where it was all starting to blend together, just one big blur of towns and islands he didn't really care about... 

_Yeah, well, now you do_, he reminded himself bitterly as he rubbed his eyes (he'd been having trouble sleeping since Omashu fell). Because somewhere in all these names and places he'd find the Fire Nation soldiers who had taken his grandparents away from him, find some way to get them away safely, and then try to find one of the few places left in the Earth Kingdom that hadn't been ruined by the Fire Nation.

_Of course, you wouldn't have to be looking at maps at all if you hadn't tried to fight those soldiers off--_

He put the maps away for now, figuring that since the boat wouldn't be here until tomorrow, he could allow himself the luxury of feeling sorry for himself. It was just... he should've known better. Should've realized that King Bumi had surrendered for a reason, realized that his home was his grandparents, not that house the Fire Nation had burned down... and he really should've realized that using **earthbending** against a **Fire Nation _officer_** would end badly for him.

"Sir?" One of the waitresses-- a pretty girl with chin length hair and serious features-- gazed down at him. "Would you like some more tea?"

She was pretty enough that Domon found it in him to smile. "Yes, please." He watched her go as she went back into the kitchen. If his life wasn't such a mess at the moment, he might've tried asking her out after work.

Something brushing against his leg brought Domon out of his semi-romantic ruminations. His first thought was that it was just a rat (in a town as rundown as this, you couldn't expect their inn to be clean in the traditional sense)... but this felt a lot colder than a rat should. His curiosity piqued, Domon peeked under the table...

... And a ghastly, metallic creature peeked back at him.

He knocked the chair down as he bolted upright. "**_Giant rat, giant metal rat!_**" He got ready to bend it away, which even at that point he knew it was a bad idea what with the small room and furniture and people.

Speaking of people, Domon's would be battle was stopped short when he felt a tiny, but very strong hand on his shoulder, pulling him back. It was the waitress again, looking more serious than ever. "Sir," she began, her tone disturbingly calm. "I realize that our inn may not be as nice as the others you've stayed at on your travels. However, I must ask that you do not frighten our customers."

She glared as him as she handed him a cup. "Here's your tea. To go."

--

Domon was so busy trying to find a good camping spot on his map that he almost didn't notice it at first. It was just some guy yelling about something he didn't need to worry about. It wasn't until he heard the guy yell, "You little thief!"-- and the subsequent thud and cry of pain-- that Domon looked up.

The one who'd cried out was pretty young, with messy brown hair and eyes that were somewhere between brown and gray. But what really caught Domon's attention was what the kid had in his arms...

As for the guy who'd called the kid a thief, he was still going strong. "I know you're the one who stole from my cart, and I'm going to make sure that--" He raised his hand, presumably to strike him.

But the wave of earth Domon sent his way knocked him off balance before it could happen.

Domon stayed in the offensive posture, as a chunk of earth floated behind him. "Look, friend, how about you call the authorities instead of pushing children around?"

He had to hand it to the merchant; he wasn't even phased. "The 'authorities' are lackeys for the Fire Nation. If I want my food back," and he sneered at the kid he had securely pinned to the wall. "I'm going to get it back myself."

Judging from the gleam in the merchant's eyes, talking wasn't going to work. He frowned as he sent the earth flying at the merchant's head. He was never going to find a place to rest at this rate...

Both Domon and the kid watched as the merchant fell down and didn't get up. "Well, he'll be there for awhile-- but you'll probably want to put some distance between you and him." Then he remembered why he'd butted in...

"What was that thing of yours doing in the inn, anyways?"

"Oh, you mean Takku?" The kid rested his hand on Takku's metal head in an almost protective way (_does he think I'm going to try and take it away from him?_) "I-I'm sorry if he bothered you; sometimes he gets away and--"

Domon waved a hand dismissively and then bent down to Takku's level. "You shouldn't scare people," he scolded the metal object sternly before standing to his full height again.

He was already heading back to the forests when he heard the kid speak again. "How... how did you do that?"

_Maybe he hit that wall harder than I thought?_ "It's earthbending," he said stupidly.

"It was amazing!" The kid's face lit up as he tugged on Domon's sleeve with his free hand. "I didn't know anyone could do that with dirt!"

... Domon was guessing that wherever this kid was from, it wasn't the Earth Kingdom... but still, to not know something so universal...

Well, he didn't have time to wonder about it. "Listen, I have to go. Try to avoid this guy's shop from now on, okay?"

He started to go again, but he could feel the kid's gaze on him.

Domon groaned, resting his head in his hand. He didn't need this. In fact, baby-sitting some loopy kid with a creepy metal pet (and both of them would almost definitely slow him down) was the very last thing he needed right now.

_But I don't think he knows how to take care of himself... and it'd be nice to have someone to talk to again, even if it's just for awhile._

Slowly, he turned to face the kid again. "I'm guessing that since you were stealing food from that guy, you don't really have anyplace to go home to. Am I right?" The kid nodded guiltily.

He groaned again. "Then come with me." But despite everything, he felt a smile tug at his mouth as the kid caught up with him. "Now that I think about it, I don't think we ever told each other our names." He pointed to himself. "I'm Domon. And you?"

"Oh, I'm Sion," he said after a pause, as if it had just dawned on him that he was supposed to tell him his name now. He diverted his gaze down to Takku. "Thank you for earlier. Takku and I are... new to this town, so we're not really sure what to do."

Domon felt the tug at his mouth again. "Actually, I am too. But maybe if we're together, we can figure out what to do next?"

Sion looked up at him again, brown-gray eyes warm. "That sounds like a good idea."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not mine

--

_The fire was everywhere._

_He could hear the roar and feel the heat, smell the soot and taste the ash as it fell down not unlike snow... but all he could do was watch as his world went down in flames._

_Or so it had seemed._

_Because right now there was a man clad in red armor in front of him, and he was more than willing to take losing his home and friends out on this man._

_"You're starting to get tired. If you don't come with me, you'll get killed," he smirked even as he turned the boulder flying at him to nothing._

_Somehow, he managed to dodge the sudden blast of fire. "I'll die first." That wasn't just a taunt: he'd heard the horror stories of what the Fire Nation did to benders, and he refused to let that happen to him._

_Another smirk. "Maybe you will. But what about your grandparents? Aren't they still at your house?"_

_It didn't matter if the man was still after him, it didn't matter that the rest of world was on fire, the only thing that mattered to him was running home and getting them out her before it was too late... before it was too--_

Then, suddenly, Sion was staring at him, eyes wide with terror. For a few moments, Domon wondered what had happened to spook the kid... and then he realized that there was a chunk of earth inches away from Sion's head.

Domon sighed heavily as he let the earth fall back to the ground. "Sorry. You caught me in the middle of a bad dream."

Sion shook his head as he scooted closer to him (and Domon wondered if he should remind that he'd very nearly thrown a rock at his head). "No, it's okay. I was trying to get you up anyways." He poked at the fire half-heartedly, and an unpleasant pause settled over them before Sion spoke again.

"Mister earthbender?"

"It's Domon-- and what?"

The kid kept his eyes fixed on the fire. "I was wondering if you could tell me more about how bending works, please?"

Domon frowned at Sion. He still had no idea about how his brain worked (or if it did at all)... but it was becoming painfully clear that he honestly had no idea about bending, or the four nations, or even the war.

"Okay. But pay attention, I'm only explaining this once."

Sion perked up, drawing his knees to his chest. "Understood."

He looked up to the stars as he tried to think of a quick/easy/understandable way to explain the events of the last century. "Okay, the world started out in four nations: the Water Tribe, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. Each nation has its own benders: for example, I'm from the Earth Kingdom and I'm an earthbender." Sion nodded for him to continue.

"And the Avatar, who was reborn in a new nation every time the old died, kept harmony between them. But then..."

"Then what happened, Domon?"

Domon tired to ignore the feeling he was telling a campfire story as he went on. "No one knows. After the last one died, the new one never appeared." He gazed at the campfire bitterly. "That's when the Fire Nation started taking over. They've practically wiped out the Water Tribes, and who knows what happened to the Air Nomads. And now it looks like they're trying to conquer the Earth Kingdom." He lay back down on the ground. "My home was taken over by the Fire Nation. They took some prisoners, mostly benders, but some shopkeepers, too. Anyone they thought could organize a resistance I guess."

He kept his eyes fixed carefully on the night sky. "My grandparents ran a small shop."

Then the stars were gone, blocked out by Sion hovering over him. "Domon, I'm so sorry--"

He reminded himself of whom he was talking to as he rested his arm over his eyes. "Don't apologize. You didn't take them prisoner, the Fire Nation did."

There was another pause. "So, you're looking for them now?"

"Pretty much." Domon sat up long enough to grab his blanket, tossing it over his body once more, hoping that Sion would catch the hint-- but then he tossed it up and sat up again as a thought hit him.

"Sion... do you mind if I ask you a question now?"

He blinked at him. "Of course not."

Suddenly not sure if this was such a good idea, Domon rubbed the back of his neck. "You, um, really don't seem to have any idea of how the world works." Sion smiled and nodded, taking no offense in his admittedly blunt words. "So... why don't you?"

"I was raised in a cave."

"... You're kidding."

The kid shook his head, messy hair bobbing. "Really. Sora took... there was an old woman who took care of me. Food, water, clothes-- she even brought me the parts to build Takku. But she wouldn't let me leave. She said the world was no good."

_She was right._ "So, did you run away?"

"No. She died."

Now Domon was the one who felt like apologizing for no real reason. "And this is really the first time you've been out of that cave of yours?"

"Uh-huh." Sion leaned against him, just for a moment. "But I'm glad I left. I don't care what Sora said; it was worth everything just to see what you can do."

Domon managed something approaching a smile as he pulled his covers over him one last time. As horrible as it was to even consider... it explained everything. The pale skin, the unkempt hair and shabby clothes, the ignorance of the world around him... and he must've felt so alone during it all...

_If I were in his place, I'd probably latch onto the first vaguely friendly person I met, too._

But as much as Domon wanted to brood on Sion's past, he was also really tired. And Sion tinkering with Takku turned out to be just the right amount of background noise he needed to finally fall into the first deep sleep he'd had since Omashu burned up before his eyes.

--

"I want you to take this money and get yourself some clothes. Shirt, trousers, and shoes. It's getting pretty warm, so get a coat only if you think you'll need it."

Sion looked down at the coins Domon had pressed into his palm skeptically. "Are you sure? That's going to cost a lot."

"It's either that or you look like caveboy for the rest of our trip," Domon told him pointedly as he shoved him in the direction of the store. "And stay there when you're done, I'll be there to pick you up after I get us some food. And don't talk to strangers! Oh, and get me a pair of boots!"

"What size do you wear?"

_It doesn't matter, I'm gonna rip out the soles later._ "Just get the biggest you can find! And remember-- no talking to strangers!"

--

Domon was trying to figure out which of two cabbages was the least rotten when someone strangely familiar brushed past him. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was the girl who had kicked out of the inn yesterday-- she was the type who looked very different when she was out of uniform.

Feeling like he needed to at least try to apologize for yesterday, he decided they could do without rotten cabbage and approached her. "Um, hi. You may not recognize me, but--"

"Oh, you're the one I kicked out of the inn yesterday," she said with mild interest.

"... Okay, I guess you do recognize me." He waited until she had paid for her vegetables until he continued. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for that. I'm not usually that jumpy, but there was this metal--"

"Metal cat owl, I know." She led them to another cart. "You're not the first person to meet it. You are, however, the first person that overreacted like that."

"Is that what Takku is supposed to be? He doesn't look like that at all to me."

The girl looked up at him in surprise. "Takku? Is that what Sion calls it?"

Domon felt something grab at him. "Wait. You know Sion?"

Her impassive mask settled back into place as she inspected a carrot. "I think everyone who sells food in this town knows about the Earth Kingdom's friendliest thief."

"You're going to have to explain that."

She kept her gaze on the food. "He's been lurking around the shops for about a couple months now. He smiles at everyone, is very sweet, is willing to help with anything-- and he's stolen from each shop at least twice. He uses his cat owl-- you said his name was Takku, right? Anyways, he has him grab attention while he grabs food. If it weren't for the fact that they keep stealing from the same people, he might actually make a pretty good thief."

She rummaged in her purse. "Of course, considering how things are these days, you can't really blame him. And he really is a nice kid-- he helped Yeng find her mother after they got separated last week-- so everyone's just gotten used to some missing fruits and vegetables." She took her change from the shopkeeper and placed the carrots with the rest of her things. "To be honest, I've conveniently 'forgotten' some food outside the inn for him to pick up. It was just his bad luck that he stole from a shopkeeper without a heart yesterday."

"You saw that?" He grabbed her things along with his, figuring that if apologizing didn't work, he might be able to ease his conscious by helping her out with her shopping.

"Yes, and I'd be careful. Bending of any sort, especially with so many Fire Nations soldiers lurking around, is dangerous."

"I'm leaving today-- but if everyone is willing to let him steal from them, why not just have someone take him in?"

"Take a look around you, mister--"

"Domon. I'm Domon."

"And I'm Yuuri. But as I was saying, the people here can barely take care of themselves, let alone a teenager. And those who could are like you-- they're getting ready to leave, and an extra person would only slow them down."

_And yet, I'm taking him and Takku with me anyways..._ "You want me to just leave these outside the inn?"

"Good idea." The faintest hint of a grin flickered across Yuuri's features. "The innkeeper wasn't too thrilled with you last night."

Domon hoped he didn't look too embarrassed. "Well, my boat's leaving soon. I'd better get going. I guess I'll never see you again, but it was nice to meet you, Yuuri."

She watched him as he ran off. "I wouldn't be so sure about that, Domon."

--

"Now are you sure you got everything?"

Sion (now looking a little less shabby in typical Earth Kingdom garb) held up the bag. "Food and your boots. Are you sure that you don't want to put them on now?"

"I will once we're on the boat." Silently thankful that he still had at least had enough money for their fare, he grabbed Sion's arm and began to lead him in the direction of the boat...

But the Fire Nation soldiers blocked their path.

"Domon of Omashu," the leader began formally. "We would like to speak to you privately."

The merchant must've told them, or Yuuri, or someone who'd just been there to see it. "Sion, get ready to run."

"But--"

"**Now.**" There were too many soldiers, he couldn't hope to win, all he could do was hope that he could buy Sion enough time to escape--

But then one went down, then two, then four. It took awhile for Domon and the soldiers to figure out what was going on, but then he spotted a girl with a fan deflecting a blast of fire and landing a sound kick with no real effort.

"Yuuri?!" He sent a boulder flying into the torso of the leader.

"I'd rather you not say my name around Fire Nation soldiers." She took down another one of them. "I've already done time in their prisons, and it's an experience I'd rather not repeat."

Domon set up a wall of earth before the fire could hit Sion (who had **not** listened to him and was watching the whole thing in awe). Then he sent a boulder towards the ghoul who'd just tried killing a kid, making sure to hit him hard enough so that he wouldn't get up.

After glance over at Sion to make sure he was okay, Domon turned his attention to Yuuri. "Aren't you just a waitress?"

"I wasn't always," she replied as she put the fan away. "Although I guess I'll have time to explain to you when we get to Kiyoshi Island."

Domon's brow furrowed. "Maybe you're going there, but Sion and I aren't. We're--"

"Going to have the entire Fire Nation Navy looking for you. They'll check every commercial ship, but they'll gloss over smaller, private boats-- like the one I have."

"And how can you have a boat on a waitress's salary?!"

Yuuri shrugged. "The innkeeper said that if I worked for it, and could fix it, the boat was mine." This time she grinned for real, but it was too cold for Domon's liking. "I don't think he expected me to be able to do it."

Sion stood up, dusting off his new clothes. "That's very productive of you. I don't see why you need any help from us." There was no malice in his tone. He was merely stating a fact.

"Yeah, he's right!" Domon pointed a finger at her accusingly.

She rolled her eyes as she began to gather her and their bags. "It's not a safe journey. Even I'm going to need some help."

Domon still wasn't sure where this was going. "But I'm an earthbender. I'm not going to be much help on a boat."

"It's just a short journey. I'll be counting on you when we get to the island."

He wasn't exactly thrilled about Sion latching onto him and Yuuri strong arming him into whatever she was involved with (especially since he still didn't trust her)... but she was right. The Navy would be looking for him, and once he did whatever she wanted on the island he could continue his search again once the Fire Nation had lost interest in one rogue earthbender.

"Sion? Come on, we're taking a ride on Yuuri's boat."

No one said anything after that as Yuuri led the way through the darkened forest, and it took everything Domon had left in him to remind himself that the sun would rise again.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Not mine

Notes: Spoilers for up to 'Appa's Lost Days'

--

Domon got seasick easily. That was one of the reasons he'd never traveled much as a kid-- anyplace outside the Earth Kingdom was overseas, and he didn't really see the point of going somewhere when he would spend the majority of his time hunched over the side of the ship. And besides, his grandparents were too old to travel, and he didn't want to anywhere if they weren't there with him. But now his grandparents **weren't** with him, and the only way he could even hope to find them again was by ship, so…

It wasn't as bad as usual. The winds were much smoother than normal, but he was leaning over the edge of ship just in case his stomach decided to empty to itself of its contents. Somehow, he suspected Yuuri wouldn't be too thrilled if he got her new boat filthy.

"I was wondering where you'd gone." He hadn't even heard Sion walk up behind him-- no wonder Yuuri thought he might make a good thief. He leaned over so he could get a look at Domon. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I will once I get on solid land again," he assured him. "What are you doing up, anyways? The sun's not even up yet."

"I couldn't get to sleep," Sion admitted. "Everything I've seen over the past couple of days just keeps playing around in my brain." He was quiet for a moment, eyes fixed on the sea.

"Those soldiers… they were using fire, so I guess that makes them fire benders?"

"Yeah. It does."

Sion was still looking out to the ocean. "It was amazing. Scary, but amazing."

Domon felt himself smile bitterly. "I think everyone has that reaction to the Fire Nation." Then the smile faded as he thought about the fight. Sion had come this close to being burned alive…

He felt sick to his stomach, but not because of the waves.

"Sion… maybe you should think about this."

He looked at him again. "What do you mean?"

Domon closed his eyes. He could only take the sickeningly steady motion of the water for so long. "I'm trying to save my grandparents from the Fire Nation. This means we'll be fighting soldiers just as tough as those in the village. Probably even tougher."

"Sion, you might be killed."

He opened his eyes to see Sion's reaction, and the look he received… he wouldn't call it 'angry' (he was starting to wonder if Sion was even capable of that), but it was definitely something akin to that.

"Domon, I know what death is." He turned his attention back to the oceans. "I was there when Sora died, after all."

"Sion…"

"We'd fought before it happened. She was going out to get some more food, I wanted to go and help her. But as usual, she said it was too dangerous for me." He smiled a little. "And I guess I must've been angrier about that than usual, so I reminded her I'd never been outside, so how could she possible know if it was too dangerous for me or not?"

He shrugged as the sun began to rise. "So we argued about it-- pretty loudly too, I'm surprised no one from the village came to see what was happening. But after awhile, she sat down and said she was too tired to keep yelling at me. Then she took a nap. I'm not sure how long I just glared at her, waiting for her to wake up so we could start fighting again."

Sion blinked rapidly-- maybe the sun was hurting his eyes? "It was about then when I noticed that she wasn't breathing."

When Sion rubbed at his eyes, Domon knew for sure that it wasn't because of the sun. "Sora had told me some stories about people dying, so I knew that I had to bury her at least. So Takku and I… I was expecting her to be dead weight, but she was so light… and then we…"

He rubbed at his eyes again, a little more violently than before. "I'm sorry. You probably have a ton of questions now, but I don't think I want to talk about it anymore."

Domon ignored the nausea as he stood up and pulled Sion to him. "You've told me more than enough."

"There you two are." If Yuuri had overheard anything, she didn't mention it. "Domon, you'll be glad to know that Kiyoshi Island is nearby. In fact, we should be able to see it right about…" she pointed to the horizon. "Now."

The island was the most beautiful thing Domon had seen in his life. "Land, Sion! Steady, non movey land!" If it weren't for the fact that it definitely would have made him lose his lunch (and Yuuri was watching them), he probably would've twirled his friend around to celebrate.

After what they had been talking about earlier, Sion's smile was almost as much of a relief as the sight of Kiyoshi Island.

--

Considering how intent Yuuri had been on getting to Kiyoshi Island, Domon had expected a few people to be waiting for her when they made it to land. However, he hadn't been expecting half the island to be there.

He scanned the crowd and saw a man in the latter half of middle age approach them. "Yuuri! We were so worried about you and the other warriors." He bowed deeply.

"I'm glad to see you again, Oyajii." Yuuri bowed in reply. "The fate of the Kiyoshi Warriors is something that I would like to discuss with you privately."

"Wait, hold on a sec." Domon strong armed his way through the people so he could talk to her. "You made me stop looking for my grandparents so I could do something for you once we got to the island, remember?"

She gave him a level stare. "That can wait for now." She and Oyajii began to leave.

"But what I am supposed to do while you're gone?!"

"Whatever you want."

Realizing it was a lost cause, Domon checked the crowds again, trying to figure out where Sion had slipped off to. He saw him fixing a toy that he presumed belonged to the little girl peeking over his shoulder.

"There you go, try it now." He beamed as he handed the toy back to her, and she gave him a hug.

"You remind me of Aangie!"

An older girl (who Domon was guessing was the girl's sister) gave them a bemused glance and muttered something under her breath that he certainly didn't smell like Aangie.

Domon frowned as the older sister. What a brat-- but she did have a point.

_She did say anything…_

--

"I'm the only one?"

Oyajii nodded gravely. "Yuuri, if we had known the Fire Nation had such a team…"

"We still would have gone. Suki wasn't the only one who wanted to make a difference."

Yuuri was thankful that she was back in her armor and war mask-- it made keeping up the illusion of the impassive warrior of Kiyoshi much easier. They had all been capture and separated by the Fire Nation, but she had thought that if she could manage an escape, then certainly someone as skilled as Suki could… and when they were reunited on Kiyoshi Island, they would search for the others…

Well, Suki wasn't here. Therefore, it was up to her to find them. Whether they were alive or dead, she would bring every warrior of Kiyoshi home.

"Then I shall search the world. I owe it to my fellow warriors."

Oyajii frowned as she stood up. "But Yuuri… you'll be alone against the Fire Nation."

She attempted a smile. "No, I won't. I'll have an earth bender with me."

--

"Will you hold still already?!"

"But Domon, I am holding--"

"You're squirming like an elephant rat!"

Domon gnashed his teeth as he finished scrubbing Sion's back. He used to help women who'd been widowed in the war bathe their kids, so he was used to some struggle, but this was just ridiculous.

He rearranged himself so that he could wash Sion's hair. After instructing Sion to shut his eyes, he reached for the soap and began to slowly work it into the tangled mess. "So, when was the last time you had a bath?"

"Oh, I would just use the basin Sora gave me."

Domon rolled his eyes as he kept lathering. "Well, when was the last time you did that?"

Sion gave it some thought. "I guess right after Sora died?"

"I guess that explains your cavey aroma-- I'm going to rinse your hair now, so close your eyes or else the soap will get into them." He took the pitcher and poured its contents over Sion's head. "Hey, is it just me, or is this place a lot more peaceful than the village we were at?"

Sion glanced at him over his shoulder, wet bangs slightly obscuring his eyes. "Kiyoshi's neutral in the war. Aya and her sister told me while we were talking earlier."

"… Really?" Sion nodded as Domon started rinsing off the remaining suds.

Kiyoshi was peaceful… it was probably one of the few peaceful places left in the world. Sion would be safe in a place like-- he'd even have kids close to his age to play with.

He could leave Sion here, lose Yuuri as soon as humanly possible, and then he could find his grandparents. It would work.

"You okay, Domon? You got quiet all of a sudden."

"I'm great. C'mon, let's dry you off before you catch a cold."

--

"Domon, wake up Sion and get your things. We're leaving tonight."

He looked up at Yuuri-- she was dressed in clothes similar to Sion's, but her face was chalk white. "What're you talking about? I thought you needed me--"

"And I still do." Impatient with Demon's lethargy, she slung one of his bags over her shoulder. "But there's been a change of plans. There's a group of Earth Kingdom refugees who've made their home in one of the old Air Temples, and now it's sort of a secret meeting spot for Earth Kingdom refugees in general." She glanced at him. "You might find news about your grandparents."

That was all Domon needed to hear. "Let's get going then."

"Isn't Sion coming with us?"

He took a breath before speaking. "I've decided that Sion's staying here. It's the best for him."

Yuuri made a sound that was almost like a chuckle. "No, he's not."

Domon reached for his fake boots. "Of course he is. The people here are kind, he has kids his age to play with, and there's no war."

Yuuri began to stuff some maps into a bag. "Do you really think any of that matters to him? If nearly getting killed by a Fire Nation soldier wasn't enough to make him turn away, do you really think you're going to fare any better? Like he told you, he knows what death is."

His back was turned to her, but she kept going. "I'm the last warrior of Kiyoshi that's still free. The Fire Nation will eventually come for this island. And it's obvious that he'd rather be with you than anyone his age-- and I think you feel the same way."

Domon bit back a frown as he tugged on his jacket. "I just… I'm just keeping an eye on him."

She gave him a knowing look. "Domon, you don't dress, bathe, or rescue someone you're just keeping an eye on."

"Wait, how did you…"

"I've just been keeping an eye on you. As for the bathing, sound carries at the building." She smirked slightly. "You're a very talented earth bender, and I'm going to need someone like you to find my fellow warriors-- and you're going to need someone like me to rescue your grandparents."

She handed him Sion's bag. "And you'll also need Sion to keep from sinking into an all-consuming depression so you can rescue them."

"… Domon?" Sion was already there, blinking sleepily. "Is something wrong? I could hear you talking to Yuuri."

They were both staring at him, Sion oddly and Yuuri expectedly, both waiting for him to do something…

"Here's your bag, Sion." He took it from Yuuri and gave it to him. "We better hurry if we want to make good time."

--

"I think I'm going to be sick."

"You certainly look like you're going to be." Yuuri was keeping her distance. "But relax; we'll be at the Air Temple in a few days."

"… Don't think I'm gonna last that long…"

"Sure you are. You have to take care of Sion, right? And there's always hope."

Domon shot her a dark glare. "Hope died a little over a century ago."

Yuuri blinked (the makeup was gone; she'd explained that their travels would go easier if she didn't attract attention). "Are you talking about the Avatar? Because he's returned."

"… You're lying."

She shook her head as the breeze played with her dark brown hair. "He's returned-- I'm not sure how, but he has. I've seen him with my own eyes."

Domon had to know. "What's he like?"

Yuuri looked up to the sky thoughtfully. "Bald. But nice."

He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the lurch of the ship. But despite his seasickness… he felt better, if only emotionally. He wasn't sure if it was because of Yuuri telling him about the Avatar returning or knowing that Sion was still within reach, but he was content just content with his glimmer of hope.


End file.
